Bowman believes Michigan will be 'a really good race for the fans'

By Gray Caldwell

CONCORD, N.C. – Alex Bowman’s streak of four consecutive top-10 results – including three straight runner-up finishes – might have been snapped last Sunday at Pocono Raceway, but the driver of the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was still pleased with the hard work of the entire team.

“We had a good car, and we just fought some handling issues off and on,” Bowman said. “(No. 88 team crew chief) Greg (Ives) and the Axalta team made good adjustments on each stop. There at the end, it just came out of fourth gear and wouldn’t stay in. I had to hold it in place for the end of the race.”

Bowman ultimately finished last Sunday’s race in the same position he started – 15th. He ran in the top 10 for much of the final segment, but faced tough odds while dealing with the gear issue as the laps wound down.

Still, he has enjoyed knowing he has a speedy ride thanks to hard work back at the shop each and every week. In the last five races, he has advanced from 21st to 11th in the point standings.

“It’s been a lot of fun going to the racetrack the last month,” he said. “I’ve definitely been enjoying that and I’m really proud of everyone at Hendrick Motorsports. All four of our cars have been really strong lately, so that’s been good.”

Up next on the schedule is a trip to Michigan International Speedway, and Bowman is looking back at last month’s trip to Kansas Speedway – where he finished second – as a barometer of what to expect.

“I think Kansas and Michigan are the two tracks that complement this package the most,” he explained. “I don’t know what the weather is going to be like, but if it’s cool, you’re going to be able to run wide open pretty much the whole race.”

“I think it’s going to be a really good race for the fans. If there was a place where this package was going to give a desired effect and the closest racing, it’s going to be those two racetracks.”